Otis Breading: passionate foodies turned business owners

Q: Hi Elouise and Gavin! We have to ask – how did you come up with such an incredible business name?

Gavin: We had just had our son, Otis when we founded our business, and it seemed only fitting to name it after him. Obviously, we love the music of Otis Redding – so for a business selling toasted sandwiches it all fit together perfectly. 

Q: Why toasted sandwiches?

Elouise: It began with many a late-night experiment. We’re passionate foodies, and we wanted to concoct the perfect balance of ooze, crunch, and flavour – with some twists on the classic grilled cheese. Our toasties are all made with homemade or locally sourced ingredients, something we’re immensely proud of.

Q: Your kimchi toastie was a big hit. Do you think your careful selection of suppliers makes a difference to the final product?

Gavin: Absolutely. It really means a lot to us, to support other small businesses. We try to use the best quality and local organic ingredients because – as well as tasting amazing – it all feeds back into our own economy.

Elouise: We get our sourdough bread from a bakery a few miles down the road from us. They use local flour and it is great quality. Supporting our local community is so important to us. Helping other small businesses thrive – they’re the soul of our country’s economy! We’re so aware that if we don’t support them, it’s a use it or lose it kind of thing. 

Gavin: It goes both ways – we find ourselves overwhelmed with the support we get back from our local community too. 

Q: What has becoming business founders taught you?

Gavin: As someone who has felt misrepresented because of my race in the past, I’m learning that it shouldn't be a barrier. You’ve got to reach out and grab the opportunities just like any other person.

Elouise: I think being from a mixed ethnicity background has presented some challenges. Even being a bit different in school, especially compared with some of our friends who were from slightly more affluent backgrounds, they had different opportunities. Gavin and I come from similar backgrounds – mixed heritage, single parents. But starting Otis Breading has taught us to persevere and we're really proud of ourselves.

Q: Looking to the future, how would you like your business to grow and evolve?

Elouise: I’m really passionate about gut health and ferments. I make all of that in-house and would love to grow that side of the business, especially for when it’s not events season.

Gavin: On that note, we also really want to build our online presence. We've got a website, but at the minute we're not selling anything on our shop. That’s where we would sell the ferments and pickles – and we’d reach a nationwide audience. It’s something that we're hoping to do with the award money.

Q: What advice would you give to anyone thinking of starting their own business?

Elouise: Know that it is possible. A lot of people have the dream and it's a side hustle that they want to take full time, but they're kind of scared – and it is scary to not have stability and not know how something is going to go… but you’ve got to try. 

Gavin: And it’s fun to do what you want to do! It's really nice going to work every day and loving it and never having that feeling of just ‘oh I don't really want to be doing this’.